Puyu Cowl

We are trying a new yarn from a new company. This is Puyu, a silk and alpaca blend from Amano Yarns.

The structure of the yarn makes it lightweight even though it's bulky. It is fluffy and lofty and so very soft. Sally made the January Squish Cowl using just one skein, and it is like the perfect cozy turtleneck...just the thing to tuck under your jacket.

I love the poofy stitch definition of those columns. If you love the look of this, stop in the shop and try it on!

Cashmere!

Brrr! We are back to chilly weather here in Portland! How about a cozy cashmere cowl? This Lang Cashmere Light is warm and knits up into a dense and buttery-soft fabric, and I love the pretty earthy-tones.

Here's the easy-peasy free pattern for the cowl. Enjoy!

Quick Cowl

It's the time of year for warm and quick projects! How about the Paco Cowl? One skein and some US19 circular needles and you (or someone you love) will be warm and toasty. We have a nice range of lovely neutrals for you to choose from!

And here is the comprehensive pattern ;)

Simply Stripes Kit

We don't do a lot of kits in the shop, but this one was too lovely to pass up. This is the Simply Stripes Cowl using a cool yarn called SimpliCria from Skacel. This yarn is a gorgeous and soft chained alpaca. It is really luxurious and has such a nice halo.

The kit contains six balls of yarn and the pattern for the multi-colored striped cowl. We only have a few kits in the shop, so pop in soon and take a look!

Eye Candy Monday

This yarn. This pattern. Perfection.

Color Therapy Cowl

When we received the Kureopatora in January, we all kind of fell in love with it. So soft for Noro, and the colors and yardage are quite impressive. I keep thinking I need a striped scarf, but Sally went all cowl with this one.

She was inspired by Adrienne's Noromania Blanket that sososo many of y'all are working on. She finished her blanket awhile back, and was clearly missing the gartery goodness. Her new Color Therapy Cowl solved that problem! She used colors 1001 and 1011 to make this cozy colorful cowl. Look how pretty. Come choose your two favorites and cast on!

Color Therapy Cowl

by Sally Palin

Yarn: Noro Kureopatora, 2 balls in contrasting/complementary colors
Needles: US7 24" circular
Finished Size: Cowl-sized, large enough for double-looping

Cast on 250 stitches. Join in the round.
Knit one row.
Purl one row.
Change colors.
Knit one row.
Purl one row.
Go back to first color and repeat. Loop the color not in use up the back of work.
Repeat the rows until you near the end of both balls of yarn.
Make sure to have enough yarn to finish the two row sequence and bind off loosely!

Inspira

Oh, my. I mean...

Ann whipped up an Insira Cowl, and I am in love! I had a hard time leaving this one at the shop on Monday after work. It was the perfect pop of color! This cowl is incredibly well-loved on Ravelry. The free patterns has so many variations, you can create several and they might all be completely unique.

For this lovely version, Ann used two shades of Louisa Harding Amitola, two balls of #103 and one of #107. This yarn is buttery soft, and the colors are so beautiful! She made the Steampunk version, following the MissNelly modifications. 

She increased to 258 stitches, and she knit the first and last stitches of each section (to avoid the line). Ann also bound off in I-cord and then applied I-cord to the cast on edge for a nice, clean finish. 

There are so many fabulous versions of this cowl on Ravelry. Come on in and choose your favorite shades of Amitola. It seems like they pretty much all go together!

Last Day to Yarn Crawl

Have you all been keeping up with the Yarn Crawl happenings at Close Knit?  Our Facebook page is covered with the proud (and tired) faces of yarn crawlers who made it to all eighteen Portland-area shops.  Those adventurous folks are entered to win a humongous prize basket filled with lots of yarny goodies.  It's huge.

For those of you who have only made it to a few shops (or maybe just one), you are still entered into the raffle at each shop where you signed in.  There are large and lovely baskets at each shop, as well as very generous yarn kits and gift certificates.

Our sweet and talented friend Sarah of Bumblebirch joined us, and I know you all fell in love with her yarn.  I snagged the lone skein of Forage in Dandelion.  

So pretty.  Sarah will be at the shop for the rest of the crawl, showing off her beautiful yarns.  She has a smattering of the worsted weight Forage, as well as her three fingering weights Grove, Wellspring, and Heartwood.

If you made a purchase at Close Knit, we gave you a Ravelry code for our free pattern, the Cowlberta.  Don't forget to use this by Monday at midnight!  It will expire!  The patterns will be available as part of an ebook, but they are only accessible as freebies until Monday night.

Photo borrowed from RCYC Ravelry page.

It was fun to see all of the color combos that knitters chose for their cowls.  I wore a carbon/soapstone/leapfrog sample around the shop for a bit on Friday, and I was so pleased with the Spud & Chloe Outer.  So soft and still 10% off for the rest of the crawl!  All of the shops are open today from 10-6, so there is plenty of time to come get yours.
 
Thank you so much to everyone who visited our shop, whether you are a long-time Close Knitter or a first-timer.  We are happy to have you and we hope to see you all again soon!  Maybe not all at the same time, though...we need a minute to recuperate and clean up the shop!

Loopy Mango

Do you like big yarn?  We have some.  Sally took the plunge and ordered the Big Loop from Loopy Mango!  (Their site is gorgeous.  Go have a look.)  We have taken to calling these yarn babies.

Sally whipped up a blanket in about two hours with one ball of Big Loop and some US50 needles.  We have some in stock, since most of us don't have those in our collection.  You could just use broomsticks, I suppose.

The pattern is a freebie on the Loopy Mango site.  It starts out "cast on 18 stitches..."

I have to admit, I was not expecting to like this stuff as much as I do.  It is very snuggly.  We also have a few balls of the Big Loop Mini (13 oz balls) in stock.  Look at that pink.  Wowza.

Jenni used one to make the Eternity Cowl.  Cast on 4 stitches.  It's wrapped around three times here.

One of the Big Balls will make three of these, according to the pattern.  These patterns and several more are available for free on the Loopy Mango site.  I am loving the New Yorker Scarf.  There are a few crochet patterns, too...a super simple scarf and really nice round rug.

Photo borrowed from Loopy Mango.

We have more of this crazy cool stuff on the way.  Sally has ordered more of the naturals, some grey, and more Dirty Dirty Pink, and we are happy to special order.  I'll let you know when it arrives so you can come choose your own yarn baby.

Cold Shoulder?

I know it's been getting up into the 50s during the day, but I cannot shake the chill.  Maybe I'm still recovering from the ick, or maybe it's the short days that have me piling on the layers.  I love a scarf or cowl, but I'm thinking one of these Churchmouse Shoulder Cozies might be nice, too.

Sally made this pretty piece with just one ball of Rowan Kidsilk Haze and two balls of Noro Silk Garden in the most subtle neutrals.

I like that you can wear it as a capelet or as a cowl under a jacket.  A nice choice for a chilly office or drafty house.  The Silk Garden is lovely and interesting, and the Kidsilk Haze really adds a nice halo.

It's a Churchmouse pattern, and they know how to do classy.  The patterns are always well-written, too.

Stop by for a look.  We can help you choose the perfect combination to keep your cold shoulders cozy and warm!

Soothe

Looking for a little soothing knitting these days?  I certainly am.  Allow me to suggest Mira's Cowl.

Knit with 400 or so yards of sock yarn and a US7 circular needle, this little cowl really fits the bill.  It's an unusual variation on a knit/purl rib, so it's not boring.  But it's not complicated, either.

I created mine with two skeins of Shubui Sock, and I just worked until I ran out of yarn.

Photo from Shibuiknits.com

I was quite taken by the Blush colorway, but it's not so great with my pink skin and freckles.  However, my lovely friend Laura looks just smashing, doesn't she?  Laura reports that it is such a nice weight, too, for these chilly days we're having.

There are two sizes for this cowl, and I knit the largest one, which is large enough to double wrap.  I was convinced the whole time that it was going to be too narrow, but it turned out just fine with a vigorous blocking.  A stretchy cast on and bind off are key to the success of the double-wrap on this cowl, though, so be aware.

I was thinking how nice it would be to have one of my own in some of this fabulous sock yarn from Wonderland Yarns, and with 512 yards per skein, there is more than enough for a big ol' cowl.

Now, which color will compliment my freckles?  I'm thinking dark blue or the grass green.  Looking forward to a nice soothing project with this beautiful yarn.  I'm feeling more relaxed already.

Petite Honeycomb Cowl

Melissa has been working on a little something for us!  She was inspired by a few lovely yarns from Classic Elite, Wynter and Blackthorn.  Using a Classic Elite freebie written for a super bulky yarn, she scaled things back a bit to create her very own version, the Petite Honeycomb Cowl.

The stitch pattern is deceptively simple.  Only one color is used per round, and slipped stitches are used to create the honeycomb effect.  Better yet, Melissa thoughtfully designed these so that you can knit both cowls with one skein of each color.  What a great plan for those holiday gifts everyone is talking about.

We first saw Blackthorn last winter, I believe, as part of the the Mountain Top collection from Classic Elite.  It's a lovely chunky yarn with lots of nice bounce and character.  The natural color palette is so pretty, too.

This fall, we saw Wynter, the colorful counterpart to Blackthorn.  Same great yarn, but in these vibrant shades.

Melissa combined the natural snowy white Blackthorn and the pretty teal Wynter in her cozy cowl.  Just the perfect colors for a few strawberry blondes!

What color combination inspires you?  Thank you, Melissa!

Petite Honeycomb Cowl

by Melissa Tyler

Yarn: Classic Elite Wynter and/or Blackthorn, 1 skein each MC & CC (for two cowls)
Needles/Notions: US 10.5 24” Circular Needle, stitch marker

Notes: Slip all stitches purlwise with the yarn in back.  Rather than cutting yarn at each color change, carry the yarn up the inside of the cowl.

Honeycomb Pattern Stitch (multiple of 10 sts, 18 rnd repeat):

Rnds 1-5: With CC *slip 2, k8; rep from *

Rnd 6: With Mc *slip 2, k8; rep from *

Rnds 7-9: With MC purl.

Rnds 10-14: With CC *k5, slip 2, k3; rep from *

Rnd 15: With MC *k5, slip 2, k3; rep from *

Rnd 16-18: With MC purl.

Rep Rnds 1-18 for Honeycomb Pattern

Cowl: With MC, CO 70 sts.  Place marker and join to work in round, being careful not to twist sts.

Purl 3 rnds.

Work Honeycomb Pattern 2.5 times (45 rnds).

With MC, loosely BO all sts purlwise.

Finishing:  Wet block and weave in ends.  Keep one for yourself & give one to a friend!

Knitcol Cowl

We received Adriafil Knitcol a few weeks back, and we needed a nice sample to show off the cool yarn.  So I made one for you.  And then I wrote up a free pattern for you.  

Knitcol is a self-patterning, worsted weight, machine washable wool, and it does some cool stuff.  Depending on how many stitches you cast on, you'll get different patterns.

It's nice and long, so you can wear it scrunched down like this...

or folded over to show off one colorful end or the other like this.  I hope you like it!

Knitcol Cowl

by Leah Bandstra

Yarn: 3 balls Adriafil Knitcol (colors 057, 061, and 064 used)
Needles: US7 16" or 24” circular needle
Finished Size: 23” around, about 22” long
Gauge: 5 stitches per inch

Instructions:
Cast on 130 stitches with your circular needle.
Join in the round (don't twist), placing marker at the beginning of the round.

Round 1: Knit

Round 2: Purl

Round 3: Knit

Round 4: Purl

Stockinette stitch (knit every round all the time) until you run out of your first color.  Knit with the second color until you run out of it.  Knit with the third color for about 6 inches, then add garter stitch border as follows:

Round 1: Purl

Round 2: Knit

Round 3: Purl

Round 4: Knit

Bind off loosely in purl stitch.

Block it lightly to flatten out the ends.  Cozy up and enjoy!

September Circle in May

I finished my lace cowl, and now I want to knit everything out of Kauni.  It's a sickness, but I'm okay with it.

The pattern is September Circle by Melissa LeBarre, and it's available on Ravelry.  If you have an inkling to try lace, this is a great first lace pattern.  

The lace pattern repeat is only twelve stitches wide and only five rows involve actual lace knitting, so hopefully you won't get overwhelmed on the first go.  Seriously, more than half of the rounds are just plain ol' knitting and purling.

You can, of course, knit this with any fingering or sport weight yarn, but the slow color change of the Kauni adds so much impact to such a simple pattern.  The Kauni is put up in balls of different weights, so the yardage varies from ball to ball.  I weighed mine, and I used about 80 grams (or about 350 yards).  My skein was about 130 grams when I started, so there would have been plenty of yarn had a chosen to make my cowl larger.  If you can find a 160 gram ball of Kauni, you could get two cowls!

The colors of the Kauni are really stunning, and we have these great swatches to help you appreciate how the color will change over the course of the whole ball.  The company is also kind enough to allow us to order just one or two balls of a given color, so we can easily special order whichever colorway you little heart desires.

My heart now desires a sweater made with Kauni, I'm thinking the Silver Spring Pullover.  There are over 7,000 projects on Ravelry using this lovely yarn, including hundreds of sweaters, hundreds of hats, and more than 2,000 shawls.  I am clearly not alone in my new affliction.  Won't you join us?